Photos by Ed Rhee and Jacob Witkin
A few years ago, I was working on a project for a pre-owned watch dealer, and its collection was packed with vintage Polo watches by Piaget. I spent an excessive amount of time browsing this section of the catalog, studying all the weird and wild variations available. I understood that these were super-dated watches, yet I was still attracted to them. I questioned my taste as I couldn’t quite explain why I was drawn to these 1980s relics that were so clearly passé. Fast-forward to 2024, and when I heard about the new Piaget Polo 79 watch, I perked up and paid attention. Then I got even more excited when we got our hands on one for a review.
From the get-go, the Piaget Polo 79 looks really good; while clearly inspired by the original version from — you guessed it — 1979, it benefits from a handful of updates that make it perfectly suitable for right now. Similar to how Cartier insists on calling the case sides that transition into lugs “brancards,” Piaget refers to the horizontal lines that decorate the entire span of the watch, including the sides, as “gadroons.” However, unlike “brancards,” which is the French word for “stretcher,” “gadroon” is indeed an English word (with French origins) that describes a decorative motif consisting of convex ridges or rounded flutes, often used in architecture, furniture, and metalwork. Piaget’s use of gadrooning on the Polo 79 (and its predecessors) is as visually satisfying as a layered cake, and it’s clearly what gives the piece its distinct personality. It’s the frosting that takes an otherwise average bite to something memorable. Is it too much for some? Sure, but not everyone likes extra spread — but for those who do, it’s the icing on the cake (sorry.)
Not that there’s anything average about the Piaget Polo 79; we’re talking about a hefty chunk of 18k yellow gold, sculpted into Yves Piaget’s vision of what a bracelet watch should be. It’s heavy (200 grams), flashy, and in the words of my colleague Jake, “so dang good.” The contrast of the polished gadroons with the brushed surfaces of the rest of the metalwork is superb.
Compared to the 34mm or smaller proportions of old-school Polo watches, the new Polo 79 clocks in at 38mm in diameter. In the fussy world of watch enthusiasm, 38mm seems to be the sweet spot that the majority can agree on, so that’s a win. In customary Piaget fashion, the case is a slender 7.45mm and wears comfortably on the wrist. This is nowhere near Piaget’s thinnest watch, but a statement-making gold timepiece that was once marketed as “The world’s ultimate sports watch” shouldn’t be too skinny anyway. There’s a perfect amount of articulation between the bracelet links and none of that dreaded hair-pulling that some bracelets can inflict. The ends of the tapered bracelet meet at a flawlessly concealed clasp, and I would happily wear the watch dial facing down to show off all that gadroon-y goodness on the band.
However, the gold dial is also just as nice to look at, seamlessly integrated with the case and bracelet. Polished faceted dauphine hands point to the carved circles on the subtle chapter ring, The pair of gold hands are a little tough to read in some lighting due to the lack of color contrast but the faceting of the surfaces makes it manageable. I’m thoroughly enjoying the lack of text on the dials of watches I’ve recently reviewed because who needs words to get in the way of functionality and design? Inscriptions that indicate the model, movement type, water resistance, or chronometer certification are better left unwritten in my opinion, or at a minimum, moved to the back of the watch. Thankfully, that’s precisely what we have here with just the Piaget branding under 12 o’clock — even though Piaget could have understandably etched “Automatic” on its dials.
The original Polo watch was the vessel that Piaget created to show off its then-new ultra-thin quartz movement. Remember, the Polo was born during the Quartz Revolution, not long after the debut of the chunky Beta 21 quartz movement created via a consortium of Swiss watchmakers. So, a slim, in-house-made, Swiss caliber using the latest timekeeping tech was something to be applauded during that era; as a result, almost all first-gen Polo watches were proudly quartz-powered. Today, it’s a different story, of course, and tastes have swung back to traditional mechanical watchmaking. As such, the Piaget Polo 79 is furnished with a new movement: the Piaget Caliber 1200P1 automatic movement with a micro-rotor. The movement, which measures 2.35mm thick, ticks at 21,600bph, and supplies 44 hours of power reserve is undoubtedly pretty and well executed but, honestly, at this price point, it wouldn’t hurt to see more ornate finishing.
Speaking of price, that’s the biggest roadblock here — the Piaget Polo 79 retails for $73,000 USD, which is extravagant, to say the least. This is particularly stinging because thanks to that pre-owned watch dealer I worked with, I know that Polo watches on the secondary market were reasonably priced for solid gold watches. Yes, these were used, smaller, and quartz-powered — but it is still an unnecessarily dramatic leap for a modern, larger automatic version. While I think the 2024 Piaget Polo 79 is an ultra-cool piece that brilliantly updates an important retro design, the cost does leave a slightly bitter aftertaste. For more information, please visit the Piaget website.
